Family offices are increasingly bypassing private equity funds and buying stakes in private companies directly, according to a new survey. Half of family offices plan to do "direct deals" — or invest in a private company without a private equity fund — over the next two years, according to a family office survey from Bastiat Partners and Kharis Capital. As they grow in size and sophistication, family offices are becoming more confident about finding and negotiating their own private equity deals. "Family offices are being gradually recognized as an economic powerhouse in private markets," according to the report. The big challenge for family offices as they do more direct deals is so-called "deal flow," or the volume of possible deals.

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Persons: Robert Frank Organizations: Bastiat Partners, Kharis